


Room for Error

by SoulOfAFangirl684



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Awkward Romance, F/M, Getting to Know Each Other, No Sexual Content, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Nudity, Post-Majin Buu Saga, Skinny Dipping, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 22:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20443916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulOfAFangirl684/pseuds/SoulOfAFangirl684
Summary: In the early days of their relationship, Videl was just looking for a way to get closer to Gohan. But now she wished every moment could be like this one.





	Room for Error

**Author's Note:**

> You know, Non-Sexual Intimacy is one of my favorite tags AO3 offers. Just me?

Videl flopped back with a groan, covering her face with her hands. “This isn’t working.”

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she let her hands slip away so that she could see Gohan. He’d brought his legs up so he could sit pretzel-style near the end of her bed where they’d both been sitting just a few minutes earlier. His face was as red as her own. He brought one finger up to scratch at his cheek, as if that would diminish the blush.

“I’m sorry, Videl. This is harder than people make it look… I’m just not sure why your eyes are supposed to be_ closed_ when you kiss someone. If the whole point is the be close to the other person, shouldn’t you _want_ to look at them?”

Videl sighed. She’d already known her boyfriend’s extensive education hadn’t taught him anything about dating or romance, but she hadn’t thought she’d have to explain something so basic. And she grew a little irritated when she realized she didn’t really _have_ an explanation. “I don’t know. It’s just how it’s done.”

He flinched under the sharpness of her tone, and she frowned guiltily. “Sorry. I… I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, I know…” They lapsed into silence. Both of their faces had faded back to their regular colors. She tried to stifle her frustration. It wasn’t as if _she_ had much experience with dating, but she hadn’t expected to hit a roadblock so soon. The universe was saved, she and Gohan were in love, and the rest was supposed to just fall into place. That’s what she’d thought, anyway.

She exhaled deeply, laying back against her pillows again. That uncomfortable look on his face was making her feel bad. She hated how stiff he looked. This wasn’t how she’d wanted today to go.

Videl patted the space beside her and waited while Gohan hesitantly crawled over to lay down beside her. There were still a few careful inches of space between them, but it was better. They were both starting to relax again, little by little.

She wasn’t sure how far she’d expected them to go today. (In truth, her own lack of reservations scared her a little.) There was a reason she’d been so firm about spending this afternoon together in _her_ room, safely sequestered away in one wing of the Satan family mansion… rather than his little mountain home, in the room he shared with his brother. A home that had to be feeling even more crowded, what with his father’s recent, more permanent return.

They remained like this for some time, minds elsewhere but eyes locked on each other. Distantly, Videl felt that this should have made her feel awkward. After all, it had been the prolonged eye contact that had broken up their attempted make-out session. But this… This was nice. Comfortable. She wished it could always feel like this.

Once the world had been cleaned up and made to forget, Gohan and Videl… had gone back to school. It had been very strange at first—still was, if she was being honest—knowing that none of her friends remembered the events that had changed her life forever. She had not planned to hide her relationship with Gohan from them anyway, but he quickly became her anchor in this sea of memory loss—a reassurance that she really wasn’t crazy. There were days she was nearly glued to his side, and she knew there was no way to explain this sudden closeness to her friends.

She and Gohan never really talked about it. If he was ever bothered by her occasional clinginess, it didn’t show. She could only hope that her presence brought some sort of comfort to him as well.

Her place at Gohan’s side felt natural, in a way she’d never really been able to picture for herself before. But other aspects of closeness in their relationship weren’t coming to them quite so easily.

He wasn’t shy about holding her hand in public. He always seemed to know exactly when she wanted to be held. He was quite partial to cuddling. This kissing business seemed to be their Achilles heel.

She must have been frowning, because Gohan reached a single finger forward and brushed it lightly against her bottom lip. It startled her out of her thoughts, and they smiled softly at each other. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah… Sorry for snapping at you earlier. I don’t really know what I’m doing either.” Another girl might have meant this to be coy, but Videl’s pride was chafing at this confession. With another boy, she never would have admitted to her inexperience. But perhaps this was just one more way she could be certain Gohan was The One.

He looked thoughtful now, the way he did when he was reading. “It does seem kind of like an awkward thing to ask someone else for a little direction with, doesn’t it? I’ve done all the research I can on my own… I understand the_ theory_ behind why people kiss. There’s so many nerve endings in your lips…”

He trailed off when she couldn’t contain her laughter any longer. Leave it to Gohan to approach kissing the same way he would one of their school papers.

He just watched her for a moment. A sweet, almost dopey sort of smile forming on his face at the sight of her untroubled laughter. She didn’t try to explain what was so funny. Just let the moment happen until her own mind began to wander again.

So Gohan had done all the research he possibly could on his own, huh? Somehow, she doubted that. He was smart but sheltered. His mother certainly wasn’t the type to leave anything racy lying around the house where her younger son might stumble across it. Or hell, even her almost-adult son. In fact, Chi-Chi probably didn’t own anything even remotely dirty at all. She seemed much too proper for that.

_She_ could help out with Gohan’s research…

Oh, god, where had _that_ thought come from? The second she began to imagine how introducing Gohan to porn in an attempt to be sexy was likely to actually play out, Videl’s brain shut down completely.

She was aware of her face growing increasingly red and was powerless to stop it. Gohan’s eyes widened in alarm. “Videl? What’s wrong?”

She just turned enough to bury her face in her pillow and mumble incoherently.

They needed to find a new approach.

**…………**

As much as she’d pushed to have Gohan over her house since they’d gotten together, Videl wasn’t sure anything represented this feeling of peacetime quite like the dinners she attended at his home. Mount Paozu was so removed from everything else in her life… Flying out to Gohan’s place was like stepping into another world. Out here, it was not at all hard to believe that the events of the past year had really happened. (Somehow easier than in her own house, where the monster responsible for so many of those events was currently living.)

Mount Paozu, which remained nearly completely untouched by modern society, felt a bit magical to Videl. (It _was_ where she’d first learned to fly—an act that still felt magical in itself.) But watching Chi-Chi cook looked like one of the most normal things in the world. It was such an ordinary sight… Sitting in the Son family kitchen, Videl felt like she could have been in just about any home in the world. She’d offered to help, but Gohan’s mother had everything under control.

Somehow, the scale of the dinner spread out before them managed to impress her every single time. It shouldn’t have. She’d been witness to her boyfriend’s appetite plenty by now. (And his brother’s. And his father’s, who seemed to dwarf even Gohan’s.) This, too, was one of those things that had started to seem normal to her.

They’d barely been seated before the boys dug in, the table manners she was sure Chi-Chi had instilled in them flying off with the breeze. (Gohan _had_ tried to reign himself in when in her presence, at first. She’d actually been kind of glad when he’d dropped that. She wanted him to feel free to be himself around her.) Chi-Chi didn’t even bother to reprimand them anymore. She gave the smallest of huffs before beginning to eat herself, and Videl followed her lead.

She’d never cared much for eating outside. (Picnics were so overrated.) But they’d set up the table outside every time Videl had joined them for a meal, and she’d begun to really enjoy it. By the time the boys finally slowed down—nearly every place clear—the sun was setting, staining everything around them a brilliant orange. It was gorgeous. But not quite as nice as the sight of Gohan stopping to send a soft smile her way from the other side of the table.

It was a nice surprise—how at home she felt with his family. Her own father had been accepting of Gohan, but awkwardly so. When Videl walked into view around here, everyone treated her like she belonged—and always had.

Once the dishes were cleared away, they all drifted down their own paths. Goten quickly engaged Goku in a training session… Or some sort of violent game. Videl couldn’t always tell with him. In any case, the novelty of having his dad around hadn’t yet worn off. Which left Gohan free to lead her through the woods.

It was a leisurely stroll. Just starting to get too dim to see properly. But she wasn’t worried. Videl Satan could take care of herself. …And she supposed it didn’t hurt to have Gohan by her side.

“Watch your step. The ground starts to slope downhill here.” His voice was soft, but the twilight atmosphere made it a little jarring. But this didn’t unsettle her for long. She tucked herself a little more closely against Gohan’s side, enjoying the warmth. It still amazed her, the way Gohan knew the entire area like the back of his hand, even in the dark.

“Where are you taking me?” She’d begun to suspect their path was more purposeful than she’d first thought.

Videl could just make out his smile in what remained of the day’s light. “Somewhere I haven’t shown you yet. Just a little farther, okay?”

She simply squeezed his hand. It was the only response necessary.

By the time they emerged into the clearing, the moon had risen high enough so that the two could see by its glow. Gohan had led her to a small lake. The moonlight cast a silvery sheen over the water, and every few seconds, a firefly would flit across their path. It was like something straight out of a storybook.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured and squeezed his hand again to let him know it was genuine.

Videl could see the gleam of his teeth as he grinned at her. “I’m glad you like it. It’s kind of become my place… I would come here whenever I needed some time alone, just to think. My dad probably came across it, at one point or another. But it’s not sustainable to fish from, not like the rivers are. So he probably forgot all about it. I thought about bringing Goten here, to go swimming, but… Well, there are lots of places to swim.”

“But only a few places that are _yours_,” she finished for him. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

There were an awful lot of things he was communicating only with a smile these days. Videl didn’t think she’d ever grow tired of seeing that smile. Or being the one he trusted with his thoughts.

They spent some time just walking around the lake. They chatted lightly about a few inconsequential things but mostly just enjoyed the peace and each other’s company.

When it started to get late, she convinced him to fly back, and they shot up into the night sky, weaving over and around each other, claiming their places among the stars.

**…………**

She met up with Gohan at his locker at the end of the next day. He smiled at her without restraint, and Videl found herself marveling at the sight. It wasn’t any different from the smiles she saw when they were alone, but the setting made them special.

He used to be so guarded at school—though it was a place he clearly enjoyed. He still had so many secrets… but Videl had been the only one seriously trying to uncover them. Anyone who cared enough to question the Great Saiyaman now would have the mystery of Saiyagirl to unravel as well. And Videl had it on good authority, they made quite the formidable duo.

In truth, she knew his ‘sudden’ change had unsettled some of their classmates. How much more comfortable he seemed in his own body, his new openness in general. Erasa attributed it to their _love_… Sharpner had been dropping hints that he was playing her—that no one was genuinely that goodhearted. (Though she had swiftly made it clear what she thought of _those_ comments.)

“Oh, hey, Videl,” he said, sounding almost surprised, as if he’d not felt her coming like he knew she could. Or perhaps his mind had just been on other things. She had noticed that his training tended to slip when preoccupied. It was one of those things she still couldn’t fathom—having the kind of abilities Gohan did and not being constantly aware of them. But this was something she loved about him too. It made him seem… innocent almost. “What’s up?”

“It’s Friday,” she said.

“Uh, yeah, it is…” he answered blankly.

“We don’t have school tomorrow,” she continued.

He nodded slowly, still struggling to piece together her intentions. “Right. Um… Did you want to do something tomorrow?”

“Technically.”

“Uh… What?” He blinked at her.

Videl finally smiled, dropping her serious air. “It’ll _technically_ be tomorrow. I want you to meet me at the lake at midnight.”

She didn’t have to specify which lake. His curious expression morphed into another one of those lovely smiles. “Sounds good. I’ll be there.”

**…………**

An idea had been forming since she’d first seen this place. Videl wanted that comfortable air to spread to all areas of their relationship. She didn’t think there was any better place to channel that than here. It was already special to Gohan. And Videl had been immediately drawn to it as well.

She’d always been given such free reign as a teen. Her father hardly had to worry about enforcing house rules when she spent her days enforcing _laws_. He figured she could be trusted to go to bed at a reasonable time. So sneaking out in the middle of the night was a little thrilling. Almost as thrilling as being able to slip out her window and not touch ground again until she’d arrived at the lake. Videl didn’t think she’d ever stop feeling enchanted by her ability to fly.

She arrived first and took a moment to stroll casually through the cool, overgrown grass. She hadn’t bothered to put on shoes before she left the house and shivered a little. She hoped what she’d heard about water being warmer at night was true.

She was bathed in Gohan’s shadow before she saw Gohan himself start to descend. He must have flown between her and the moon. She was turned to face him when he finally touched down.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting long.” He smiled fondly, sparks of amusement passing through his eyes. “You should have seen me trying to get out of the house without waking anyone up.”

She felt a brief flash of doubt at the thought that someone might have tailed him here—she wasn’t sure if his little brother or his parents were the worse possibility there—but pushed that aside. She stooped down to set the towels she’d brought on the ground, drawing Gohan’s attention to them for the first time.

“Oh, did you want to go swimming?” She could see the urge to point out that they could swim uninterrupted here any time—they didn’t need to secretly rendezvous in the middle of the night—on his lips. But what he actually said was, “I, uh, didn’t think to wear my swimsuit. I could go back and change, if you don’t mind waiting a few more minutes.”

He smiled sheepishly, but her returning smile was untroubled. “Don’t worry. Neither did I.”

He glanced blankly between Videl and the towels she’d just set down more than once. She had to say, for someone so smart, he really could be slow at times.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately… About the kissing thing.” He ducked his head, so she hurried on, “About everything, in fact. So much happened so quickly… I guess I never stopped to consider that we don’t actually know each other that well yet. Probably because everything just feels so _right_ when I’m with you.”

He nodded fervently, that open, genuine fondness sparkling in his eyes again. “Me too. I know exactly what you mean, Videl. I wasn’t so sure about this ‘dating’ thing at first, but when I spend time with you now… It’s like you fill this hole I didn’t even know was there.”

Videl’s train of thought evaporated for a few seconds, a blush creeping across her face. Gohan may not have been much of a romantic, but he could be mind-numbingly honest.

“Yes, exactly,” she said, recovering her stride. “I couldn’t understand why we were hitting so many walls with the physical stuff when we feel so close in so many other ways. I figured the only way to make that side of things easier… is to naturalize it.”

Gohan’s look was still a bit blank, but she’d been expecting that. She took a deep breath, refusing to let herself chicken out, and began to shimmy out of one article of clothing at a time, until her skin was laid bare to the night.

Gohan appeared to process this in stages. She heard his high-pitched splutter as she pulled her shirt over her head. His eyes were the size of dinner plates as she peeled off her shorts. He seemed to come back to his senses when she began to undo her bra—consider that perhaps he shouldn’t be looking. But she removed her underwear as well and simply stood before him until it was more awkward _not_ to turn back around.

Videl considered herself to be pretty comfortable with her body… She just wasn’t one to show it off. But she trusted Gohan. And tried to keep her voice light as she asked, “Have you ever gone skinny dipping?”

“Uh, no… Not just to swim… Or with anyone else…” He was rambling a bit. He’d turned to face her again, but his eyes were still down, his face red.

But Videl stood her ground. She suppressed her shiver when the night breeze blew between them. She refused to give in to the urge to cross her arms over her exposed chest. And slowly, Gohan rose his eyes back up to hers. She knew he must have seen a lot more on the way up, but she found that she really wasn’t bothered.

Which was reassuring. And some of that renewed confidence must have seeped out to Gohan, because—with a nod and a deep breath—he began to remove his clothing as well. And then they were both standing there, naked in the light of the moon.

It wasn’t weird.

…Okay, it was still a little awkward. But not nearly as uncomfortable as she’d feared it might be. The moment that would make or break this little adventure.

They didn’t linger here. Videl didn’t want to worry about whether it was still necessary to keep her eyes above a certain point. She just linked her hand through his and pulled him towards the water.

It was warmer than the night air, persuading them further in. She thought she’d read once that it was because bodies of water like this absorbed heat from the sun throughout the day… She was sure Gohan would know the exact science of it, but she didn’t ask. The whole point of this outing was to get themselves _out_ of their own heads.

For a while, they just swam. Everything Videl had ever learned about adult relationships told her that the nudity should have made this scene sexual. If this was some flowery romance novel, they would have wound around each other in the water like trained synchronized swimmers… ultimately consummating their love in a way that was somehow also effortlessly graceful.

But that wasn’t the sort of intimacy Videl was looking for. It was just… comfortable. And not because being in the water obscured most of their features. They _did_ bump into each other a few times. But the laughter that ensued got less and less awkward as time went on.

They didn’t speak much until they finally stopped to just float on their backs, staring up at the sky. At last, Gohan said, “…Would it be too weird to talk about my parents right now?”

She laughed a little. “No. What about them?”

“You know that little cottage next to our house? That’s where my dad grew up. With his grandfather at first, but mostly on his own. He still doesn’t have the best grasp on civilization, to be honest. So when Goten and I were growing up, Mom was really… passionate about teaching us manners. She’d probably have a heart attack, knowing we were out here like this… and not even engaged yet or anything.”

She blushed at the ‘yet,’ but more out of pleasure than embarrassment. It wasn’t as if she’d had any serious doubts about Gohan feeling the same way about their future as she did, but it still made her a little jittery to think about.

“I don’t know… She seems pretty excited about the idea of grandchildren.” She was only half joking. Chi-Chi had definitely warmed up to her lately, but she wasn’t exactly shy about her ulterior motives…

It was Gohan’s turn to blush and laugh awkwardly. Their night went on. When their bodies finally adjusted to the temperature of the lake and it began to feel chilly as well, they waded back out and wrapped themselves in the towels Videl had brought. Then they lay back on the grass and continued to stare at the stars, their hands intertwined.

They didn’t talk much more. Certainly not about anything important. But it was the closest she’d ever felt to Gohan. Mission accomplished. She wanted every moment to be like this one.

As the days passed after this, they would bridge gaps in places they hadn’t even noticed there was distance. At first, it was like they shared some diabolical secret… Any time they were together in a room with their friends or family, they could barely meet each other’s eyes for the first few minutes. Like they were waiting to be interrogated.

By the time they met up for their second moonlit rendezvous, it didn’t even feel important that someone might find out. Moments like these… They felt almost like they should come with some sense of closure.

But this was only their beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> Somehow, starting Super led to me rewatching a lot of Z as well. And I got really sucked into shipping Gohan and Videl this time around. But they really give us nothing for that period in between Buu’s defeat and their marriage/Videl’s pregnancy and Pan’s birth. (None of which Super even shows on-screen. It’s literally, ‘Oh hey, they’re getting married soon’ one episode and then ‘here’s the photos of the event’ the next.) So I feel like there’s a lot to explore there, and I don’t believe every aspect of their relationship would have been a picture-perfect, fairytale fit from the start. (I mean, if you think about it, they didn’t even know each other that well before Buu.) This is mostly just teenagers trying to be a little less awkward around each other.


End file.
